Health and Physical Education/Fitness at Eastern Kentucky University

Eastern Kentucky's Health and Physical Education program starts graduates at $29,632—below both the state median ($31,048) and national average ($30,554)—but shows encouraging momentum with 32% earnings growth over four years. At the 40th percentile among Kentucky programs, it trails regional competitors like Northern Kentucky ($42,725) and Georgetown College ($37,620) by substantial margins, though the gap narrows somewhat by year four as graduates reach $39,222.

The bright spot here is debt management. At $27,000, graduates leave with slightly more than the state median but significantly less than the national benchmark, resulting in a favorable 0.91 debt-to-earnings ratio. For a field that typically leads to teaching or coaching positions with modest starting salaries, keeping debt below $30,000 matters enormously for financial stability early in your career.

The tradeoff is straightforward: you'll likely start behind peers from higher-ranked Kentucky programs, but the reasonable debt load means you won't be financially constrained while building experience. If your child is committed to physical education or fitness careers and Eastern Kentucky offers in-state tuition or scholarships, the combination of controlled debt and solid growth potential makes this workable. However, if cost differences are minimal, programs like Northern Kentucky or Georgetown deliver markedly stronger earning outcomes that could justify the investment.